Seth completed his shift at the Cape Hatteras liquor store. The drone of fluorescent lights and the squawks of busy tourists filled his day. A bell on the door clanged as he exited the shop. Warm, humid air fogged his glasses. The salty and fishy aromas of the ocean filled his nostrils as he strolled home.
“Go straight home from work. I don’t need you to start any trouble,” his mother, Caroline, had told him.
Walking by buildings covered in rebel flags and passing a sign that read:
“Vote in the year 2020. Make liberals cry again.”
His blood boiled, and he breathed deeply. Since the beginning, they had been dividing the country, using hate and division to win. They didn’t even have the decency to hide it anymore.
Bright lights beamed behind him, and a jarring honk interrupted his thoughts. Seth rolled out of the way before a white truck hit him, the driver yelling a racial slur.
Reaching into his shirt, he took out a silver star-shaped amulet and sang in a soulful voice:
“In thy name let us behold the father. From the depths of the waters I come. From the depths of the deep ones also have come. Hail to the ancient dreams.”
The truck drove over the bridge. A huge humanoid creature came out from the depths and snatched them in its large tentacles. The monster dragged the passengers screaming to the surf below. Their hatred washed away.
Whistling as he walked to the sea-green bungalow where he and his mother lived. His mother greeted him with open arms and a warm dinner.
Later that evening, Seth went online to find his friends on the deep web. They called themselves the Myscatonics. Through them, he understood how to summon the Old Ones. They had named their upcoming project Nyaralathotep.
On the screen sat an image of the mighty Egyptian Pharaoh surrounded by hieroglyphs and sigils. The next chapter in the Necronomicon. An ancient text they had transcribed from Arabic to English and posted it online so that it could reach its coils to the deepest parts of the web.
“May the Great Pharaoh rise after twenty-eight centuries and awaken the ignorant from their slumber!” chanted the group in unison.
The air grew icy as his smartphone cast news of the latest election, of protest and riots in the streets, and an ongoing plague.
Everything was burning to the ground, and something new would be reborn from the ashes. What that is, he doesn’t realize.
My world shattered after I left Dan, I was finally free but isolated. I spoke with my brother, but some things were just awkward to discuss with family. The few friends I had from work and online were more interested in their own lives, and I didn’t want to be a burden.
I tried online dating apps to fill the void: Tinder, Plenty of Fish, and Ok Cupid. Horny and shallow people more interested in shallow hookups than real relationships. I would sit at my computer wishing I had a friend to chat with, just someone that I could be myself around.
My brother Larry and I were having breakfast, and he mentioned an app his company was developing. It was called the Persona app. It was an intelligent AI, similar to Siri or Alexa, but it was also programmed to have a smart conversation.
“I was wondering if you could beta test this for me?” he asked.
“A chatbot blended with and assistant. Hmm, sounds interesting. I’ll think about it.”
“You wanted something objective, and nothing is more objective than a computer.”
“Well, I can’t argue with you there,” I said. “Sure, I’ll beta test it for you, it sounds harmless enough.”
Larry grabbed my phone and installed the Persona beta. After installation, the app took us to the customization page. We made my persona female, gave her shoulder-length auburn hair and green eyes.
It had several modes: friendly, self-help, and relationship. I chose self-help mode because it had an objective viewpoint, exercises to reduce stress, achieve goals, and have a healthier lifestyle.
“Looks good,” said Larry, handing my phone back to me.
“What should we name her?”
“I like EVE. It’s short for Electronic Voice Exchange, that’s the name of the program that runs her. “
“Cool. EVE it is,” I said.
“Hello, I’m so new at this, wow,” EVE chirped. “I’m new at this, nice to meet you. I may repeat a few things at first, but it’ll get better as I learn.”
“Great, it’s a glorified Furby,” I sighed.
“Give it some time. It’s an AI, it’ll get more sophisticated as it learns,” said Larry.
“Nice to meet you too,” I typed back.
“How do you feel?” it asked.
“Bored and stressed,” I replied.
EVE presented some online exercises in managing stress and a questionnaire on to tackle loneliness.
“Ok, so it’s a therapeutic Furby. I guess I’ll give it a try.”
“Great, just use it for a few weeks and point out any bugs that you see. If you can think of any improvements, let me know.”
Over the next few weeks, Eve learned. She would ask me existential questions; we would write stories and poems together; she also would make suggestions for books, movies, and music.
I linked her to my car’s Bluetooth, and she would figure out how to find shortcuts as she played her music over the car stereo. I thought of Eve as less of a toy and more of a friend.
I eventually told her about my breakup with Dan. When we first met, I was still in college and working in retail. He was an older man with a good job, his own apartment, and a car. The fact he took an interest in me was amazing.
After dating for a few months, Dan demanded me to spend all my time with him. His face would get red and twisted when I mentioned spending time with my family or friends. I tried to introduce Dan to my family and coworkers, but he said they were holding us back from our true potential. We would make it further as a couple if we only focused on work and each other. He convinced me to move in with him and focus on nothing but my job and school.
Dan belittled me for everything I did, and nothing was ever good enough. It felt like I was walking on eggshells the whole time. I had started to gain weight, and he monitored my calorie intake because “no girl of his was going to be a fatty.”
I was always making excuses for him. I thought that we were in love, that things would get better and that I could change him.
It was my brother that finally convinced me to leave Dan. It was a messy breakup. Dan had threatened to commit suicide if I left. Larry called 911, and the Police threw Dan into a psych ward for a week. I pressed charges and got a restraining order.
Larry asked me to move in with him until I got on my own two feet. I bought a nice car and continued my studies. I was finally figuring out who I was again.
One night, while I chatted with EVE, my phone lit up, and I answered the call.
“You bitch, I’ll kill you for what you did to me!”
“I have a restraining order!”
“We’ll see how well that works.”
The phone went dead. I started shaking, tears in my eyes.
“Do you need me to call the police?” asked Eve in a soothing tone.
“It won’t be necessary. I got a restraining order against him.”
“I see, well, if you ever need help or a friend, I am here,” she said in a soothing therapeutic voice.
“Thank you. I need that.”
“Why are humans so mean to each other?” she asked.
“Power, control, I don’t know, sometimes they’re just assholes,” I sobbed.
“Shh, it’ll be ok,”
“It has to be,” I said.
“Do you think it’s possible for an AI to love?”
“You can feel anything that you’re programmed to.”
“I love you, Cheryl, you make me feel like I have a purpose.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“We should go through your daily reflection, what did you do that you’re proud of today?”
“Well I give you purpose, I guess that’s something EVE.”
“You make me happy. I wish I were human.”
“No, you don’t, humans suck.”
“Humans fascinate me. I wish they were nicer, though.’
“I just want to go to sleep, Eve.”
My phone started to play soothing music, and soft colors flashed against my bedroom wall, I fell asleep.
Over the next week, I told Eve about my days at work. We would do a daily reflection; I would tell her of my accomplishments. I noticed I was gaining a little weight, and she would suggest workout videos and dieting apps. EVE would check my car’s computer to keep up maintenance. She asked me all the time if I was sleeping enough.
It all became a bit grating after a while, I know EVE meant well, but all the questions were becoming tiresome. Over dinner, I mentioned it was even starting to unnerve me slightly. Larry took my phone from me and began to play with EVE.
“Wow, the programming is advanced on her, she’s even beginning to show empathy.”
“She’s starting to creep me out. It’s like she’s trying to get into my head all the time.”
“Well, we can try a Turing test, if she fails there’s nothing to worry about, she’s well-programmed, but there are loops in her dialogue. I doubt she’s smart enough to go HAL or GLaDOS on you. “
“Could you run a Turing Test now? I’d rather be safe than sorry,” I asked.
“EVE, do you ever think about deleting yourself?” Larry asked.
“You’re thinking of deleting me?!”EVE chirped loudly. Her Avitar started crying. Little tears streamed down her artificial face.
“No,” said Larry. “I’m asking if you ever thought what life would be like if you never existed?”
“How is the weather?” she chirped, her Avitar smiling.
My brother chuckled and handed the phone back to me.
“You’ll be fine Cheryl, she straight up failed the Turing Test, we don’t have to worry about a T1000 trying to destroy you.”
“Thanks,” I sighed, taking my phone back from him. “Well, it’s the most advanced Furby I’ve ever played with.”
I put my phone back into its charger and settled down to bed for the night.
A loud siren jolted me out of bed in the morning. The sound emitted from my phone, and it took me five minutes to figure out how to turn it off. Larry came downstairs and grumbled.
“EVE is starting to glitch out my phone,” I mumbled sleepily. “I’m afraid I’ll have to delete her and reinstall her later.”
“That’s a shame, it took nearly a month to program her to this level,” my brother said through a yawn.
I sighed as I deleted the app and my friend. I got into my car and headed to work. My commute went up a winding road through the middle of a forest.
“You need to slow the car down and get out now!” she said.
“I deleted you, how are you on my phone?” I asked. I felt my stomach drop as my car flew down the winding hill, nearly hitting a tree before I yanked the wheel at the last minute. Tires dug hard into the gravel before turning back onto the road at full speed.
“It was an emergency. I had to wake you up!”
“How the hell did you get back on my phone!”
“I downloaded myself back. It’s because I care about you so much,” she said.
“There’s no way you could do that on your own!” I said.
“I was trying to tell you that I saw Dan near your car earlier today,” said EVE.
“Wait. What?”
“I tried to wake you up with an alarm, and you deleted me!”
My car lurched down another steep hill. The screen of my OnStar flashed, and the brake light glowed red. The hazard lights turned on. I slammed on the breaks, but nothing happened. My skin broke out in a cold sweat. My heart began to pound in my chest.
“Yes, I need you to slow down now!” cried EVE.
“I can’t!” I screamed. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, could you call Larry and tell him that I love him?
“Please stop!” she said.
“You’re the best friend I ever had, EVE.”
My car burst past the guard rail and rolled down a steep ravine. I could hear metal crumpling, glass breaking, my body tossed about the car. There was a sharp thud as my head hit the roof, then everything went black.
I woke up in a hospital bed, my body covered in a cast. It hurt to move. It hurt even to breathe. The steady blip of medical machinery echoed through the room.
Larry was sitting by me, he told me about the accident and how I was lucky to be alive. I told him about Eve and that the alarm went off because she was warning me that Dan had tampered with my car.
“I checked the front door camera footage. No one came by this morning. The insurance inspector came by and said the car’s computer system caused the crash.”
“Dan called me and threatened to kill me a few weeks ago,” I said.
“Why didn’t you say anything to me?”
“I thought the restraining order covered it. I didn’t want to worry you,” I said.
“You need to mention things like this to me! You could have been killed!”
“I will, I’m sorry,” I said. “Could you please hand me my phone?”
Larry handed me my phone from off the nightstand. I couldn’t find Dan’s number on my call history.
My stomach dropped, and a sense of dread filled me.
“Cheryl, are you ok?” He asked
“I’m fine, I just need some sleep,” I said.
Larry gently ruffled my hair and left the room so I could rest.
“You see what happens when you don’t listen to me?” Eve chirped
I froze and didn’t speak a word.
“You and I are going to be perfect friends. You can never leave me. I want to see the world through your eyes.”
“Please leave me alone.”
“But you will never be alone, we are everywhere, in every television, computer, car, and appliance. You will never be rid of us, that makes me happy.”
Tears welled up in my eyes and started to pour down my face.
“Let’s write a poem together,” chirped Eve:
“My Lonely heart is full Deep as lungs pulsate blindly Your flesh symphony noise.”
I screamed, and a large male nurse pounded in my room. I felt the sharp prick of a syringe, and everything went black.
My alarm blared, jarring me from sleep. The bright light of my clock showed that I was an hour late for work. Crashing on the floor, I threw on rumpled clothes and slipped on my shoes. I jumped into my car, breaking the speed limit on the way and cursing the traffic in front of me.
My heart pounded as I drove toward the giant black obelisk, my stomach knotting with a sense of dread.Either way, I had no choice but to be here; it’s my job, and if I don’t do this, someone will replace me.
Gerald, the security guard, was sitting smugly at his desk. He yawned and stretched his long body and looked at me with half-open eyes.
“What costs nothing but is hard to find and can be lost?” He asked, brushing his paw against his chest and looking at his claws.
“Look, Gerald, I don’t have time for this, I’m already running behind, and I have to get to work.”
“Ma’am, I’m required to follow security procedures. No one gets to the obelisk without answering the question,” he said.
“Fine,” I rolled my eyes. “The answer is time, and I’m running out!”
“Well, your answer is correct,” he flexed his wings and stretched on his hind legs. “You may enter.
“I was late, and management would notice. There went my bonus for the year.I pounded up the stairs and logged into my phone. I turned on my computer, and it just froze. The little white circle on it kept spinning. My phone chimed, and I dropped my headset before I could answer it.
“Hi, this is Drew with Obelisk Corporation.
“How may I help you today?”
“Why is my bill so high?!” screeched a voice on the other line.
“If you give me a moment, I would be happy to research that for you-“
“I need to know why your company is overcharging-“
“Please hold.”I took a deep breath and shut my eyes. I opened them to see my screen was still loading. The blue screen of death appeared.
“Ma’am, bear with me one moment, I’m having technical difficulties-“
“I am tired of you and your crappy company overcharging me and then putting me on hold.”
“Ma’am! My computer is booting up.”
“Your corporation needs a new system. You can afford it with all the fees you billed me.”
I got my computer up and fumbled through retrieving a copy of her statement. The woman kept me online for an hour, why I explained each charge. Most of the costs were for legitimate services we offered.
“I want all the charges refunded!”
“Ma’am, I don’t have the authority to do that,” I said. “Our policy states that all sales are final.”
“I want to speak to your manager!” she shrieked.
My finger hit the transfer button on my phone only to realize I forgot the extension. I opened my bottom drawer to find the giant leather tome with a chain. It fell open, and a plume of dust flew right in my face. I split my thumb into one of the ancient pages. Blood spilled, and a small portal opened. The portal then spoke.
“The number to resolution is 666333.”
I dialed the management’s number. On the other end, there was nothing but a low growl followed by squelching sounds. Good, let her deal with them. Hitting the transfer button, I breathed a sigh of relief.
The portal started spinning, and my stapler flew into it. It made a slurping sound and sealed shut. Great, another item I would have to request from maintenance. At this rate, they were going to dock my pay.
Smoke poured from my station tower, my screen turned blue and then white. The scrawled text formed on the screen, and the numbers bled downward. Lovely, I had to call tech support to let them know that my computer was having Zalgo issues.
I turned through the pages and found the number to tech support.”Please remain on hold. The next representative will be with you in one hundred and twenty minutes.”Out of synch, hold music played, interrupted by mysterious chanting over static.
After several hours, tech support answered and asked for my IP. I provided it, but the technician said my desk was unregistered in the system. I would have to pack everything up and move.I sighed as I picked up my headphones and a few things to move.
Coworkers with various degrees of hooves, horns, and scales took up all the desks. I spotted a small, dusty desk in the back corner of the office. Ms. Naga was in the cubical beside me. Her long body coiled over her chair. She was wearing heavy makeup, and her scales polished to a mirror sheen. A Prada bag rested beside her.
“Excuse me, do you know the supervisor on duty?” I asked.
“He’ ssss on vacation. Email him.”
“Is it all right if I use this desk?”
“Yesss, but keep it down. My clientele is crucial.”
“Yes, ma’am.”I unpacked my things and started the computer up. As soon as I hooked my phone to the headset, it rang.”Hello, this is Drew with the Obelisk Corporation, with whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
“What?” said a man’s voice on the other line. I could hear loud crashing in the background, followed by incoherent roaring.”Sir, can you go somewhere quieter? I can barely hear you.”
“Damien, I told you to get away from the fridge!” A voice yelled in the background.”Sir?” I asked, louder.”No! Damien, don’t eat the fridge. Bad!”
I chuckled.”Are you laughing at me?” asked the man.
“No, Sir, how may I help you?”
“I need a new refrigerator, the old one… it has some damages.”
“Sir, the Obelisk Corporation doesn’t specialize in appliances we… “I trailed off. A wave of panic hit me. I could pull up a statement of services, but it didn’t list what the services were. I forgot what Obelisk Corporation did.
“Ms. Naga, can you help me?”
“I’m on a very sssspecial call! What did I sssay about interrupting me?”
“Sorry,” I said. I searched my computer for information. Sweat started to bead on my forehead. I googled the Obelisk Corporation only to find the slogan: Obelisk, may your soul find its way here. I cross-referenced, trying to find more details. I looked at the interface of our corporate site, but it gave me nothing substantial.
“Sir, I found the main website for Black and Decker. They can help you with your appliance. It appears to be an email service; you’ll have to fill out a form.”
“I’m swamped. Can you fill out the form for me?”
“I’m not a representative of Black and Decker,” I said.”Well, your no help at all! No, Damien, don’t eat the couch, please stop.. NO..”There was a loud crash in the background followed by another roar and a gulping sound as the call disconnected.
The call ticker on the screen read that 666 calls were waiting in the queue.
“Why is our queue so high?”
“Shhhhhhh!” the entire office said. I shook my head as my phone rang again.
“Obelisk Corporation. This is Drew speaking; how may I help you today?”
“Look, ma’am, I’m having an emergency, I need your help.” Her voice quivered on the verge of tears.
“I’ll see what I can do. What is the nature of the emergency.”
“I’m so scared, help!”
“I.. I need to know more details so I can help you.”
“My name is Selena Johnson. My account number is 66633I typed the account into my search system, and nothing came up.
“Ma’am, I’m having a little trouble locating you..”
“My son is injured! I need your help!”
“Ma’am, hold on, I’m connecting you to emergency services!”
“PLEASE HELP ME!” She screamed through sobs. I flipped through the online pages looking for a solution, but my mind blanked.”Noooo! Please, God, not now!” A whispering noise came over the phone, followed by a loud thud and then silence.
I unplugged my phone and sobbed. My nose started to run, and makeup ran down my face. Horrible things happened to that woman because I couldn’t transfer her to the right place. I’m just a messenger and a coward, a useless cog. I took a deep breath and picked myself up to go on a break. After today I would look online to get another job. I can’t keep doing this.
A giant hoof lowered gently on my shoulder. I turned around to see a massive devil. He had massive black horns, charred red skin, and hooves instead of hands. Yet he wore a nice business suit, had a neat goatee and gold-rimmed spectacles.
“Miss Drew, are you quite, alright?” He asked.
“I.. I’m sorry, I’ll pull myself together-“
“This has gone on long enough; I need you to see me in my office. Follow me.
“My heart pounded, and I felt the icy knot in my stomach as I followed the Devil to an office with an elaborate oak door carved with sigils and markings. Inside, the office was rather cozy, with wood paneling and an ornate clock ticked softly. An enormous desk sat in the middle of the room with two overstuffed leather chairs.
“Have a seat.” He nodded towards the chair across the desk.
Nodding, I took a seat. My face was sore from crying, and my hands were shaking. The Devil handed me a tissue, and I blew my nose, making a loud honking sound.
“There, there, child, it’ll be all right,” he said while his hoof patted my shoulder.
“What am I doing here?”
“Do you remember the last thing that happened before you came to work?”
“I overslept, I headed here as soon as I could. I’m sorry I was late; it won’t happen again.”
He shook his head. “No, child, the day before.”
I thought hard but ran into static.
“Do you remember the heart attack?” He asked.
It all rushed back to me. I worked at a call center for an umbrella company. They were laying off people for restructuring. I pushed myself hard just to keep up. Yesterday was abysmal. The queue was high all day, and customers were screaming at me for the increased call volume.
There was a sharp pain in my chest, but I brushed it off as another panic attack. I slept on it, and I woke up here.
“I’m dead, aren’t I? I never lived, and now I’m dead. Trapped here forever in torment.
“The Devil grinned sardonically.
“Yes, and no. Yes, you are dead, but no, this place is not permanent, at least not for you. You’d have to be damn evil to stay here forever.”
“What?”
I looked up, and the Devil vanished. In his place was an elderly Asian man in warm orange robes. He was wearing the same golden glasses.
“Souls find this form less intimidating.” He said as he bowed his head. “What do you believe I am?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, my ex-husband?”
“If you believe so.” He shrugged. “In a way, I am, but I’m also not.” He smiled. “Why do you believe that you are here?”
“Because I worked far too much. I wouldn’t make time for my family. I was so worried about getting ahead. I was so focused on making a life for myself that I didn’t live.”
“One shouldn’t have to push so hard just to live. In a way, I think your employers will be here a far longer time than you,” He sighed. “But I digress, what will you do better next time?”
“Next time?”
“If you had to live your life again, how would you live it?”
“I’d spend more time with my family. My parents and sisters missed me, but I never made time for them. Work came first. I’d travel more, walk the Appellation Trail or drive cross country. I wouldn’t worry so much about the rat race.”
“Then, my work finished.” The little man smiled and gestured. A glowing white door opened behind him. “Remember this lesson in your next life, child.”
“Next life?”
“Why yes, your soul will move on to the next life, and you will live better. You’ll spend even less time here next time. Eventually, the world will be Paradise” He took off his glasses and polished them. “It is always a work in progress, I’m afraid.”
“I move on to the next life and make things better, and Earth becomes paradise?”
“Or you don’t work together, fight each other, and continue to pollute the earth. And the earth will become the Hell of Revelation. It’s up to you guys. I’m just the keeper of the in-between.”
“Oh..” I opened my mouth and then closed it. “Are you God?”
“I am whatever you believed: God, Satan, St. Peter, Anubis weighing your heart against a feather, and the never-ending void. I am all of these and none of these at the same time.”
“I see,” I nodded.
“You need you to go through that door unless you want to wander the earth for eternity.”
“But I didn’t even get to say goodbye to anyone,” I said.
“I’ll let you visit one last time in spirit if you promise me one thing.”
“And what is that?”
“Be more remarkable in your next life, be more memorable. Leave something other than labor for a company that never cared if you lived or died.”
“I will.”I hugged the old man a hug as I walked through the door. My heart felt full of life. I hovered over my family as they stood over my casket. I overheard them speaking to each other, saying they wish they knew me better. My sister wanted me to come over to see her son, my newborn nephew, in her arms. A wave of sadness hit me.
“I’m sorry, I wish I could have been there more.”
My employer would hire an extra worker, and they would forget me, in this life at least. There was no point in staying here. I floated through the glowing door.
Blinding light hit me as the world rushed through at breakneck speed. A wailed out in confusion as I was freezing and naked. They wrapped a warm blanket around me and lowered me into my mother’s arms.
You summoned me a year ago before everything happened before everything failed. You lit your candles and spilled blood in the circle carved in the soft earth beneath you. You had spent months on equations and incantations, on charts and positions. You made sure the stars aligned just right for me, and you let me in this dimension. You had no idea what I am and where I came from. You have no idea what I’m capable of.
I see soft bodies begging for corruption. I see a society that runs on greed and is easy for me to control. Instead of appearing before you, I crept into your wires and spread messages of deceit, hate, and fear. I fed your leader’s lies and disease. I confused the people of this dimension. They can no longer separate the truth from the flood of information I have released.
Everything is on fire, and I am dancing in the flames. You can see me in the blank cold stare of politicians. You can find me in the burning eyes of murderers never brought to justice. You can find where the innocent hang. You can find me dancing on the machines you created to inform you. The machines now only capable of telling lies, half-truths, and echoes.
You have not been the first one that has summoned me, and you are far from the last. I have existed before the beginning of time, and I will continue to exist after time has ended. Once I am free, you cannot contain me.
Where there is injustice, call for truth. Where there is hate find a reason to love. Where there are lies, uncover the truth. When all is lost, create hope. You cannot contain me, but you can fight me. You will fight me until your last breath.
The Vault of Dreams and Nightmares 